Fond Għadir is the rocky coastal strip on the eastern Sliema shoreline, between Exiles Beach and the residential streets of Tigné and Qui-Si-Sana. The name refers to the historic salt pans cut into the limestone shore that are still clearly visible today.
The shore is flat limestone rock rather than sand, with the old rectangular salt pans stepped along its surface. Locals use the pans as natural sunbathing platforms in summer, and there are various swim-access points where you can step straight into the open sea. The water is deep close in and the rock surface is gently sloped rather than sharply edged, so access for swimmers is reasonably easy.
From the water, Fond Għadir sits along the open Sliema seafront facing north-east. There’s no shelter and no formal anchorage — the coast is exposed to most weather and is fronted by the busy traffic of vessels using the Marsamxett Harbour entrance to the south. It’s a swimming-and-sunbathing stretch rather than a destination for a charter boat to anchor.
The Sliema seafront alongside has cafés, restaurants and shops and is one of the most walked promenades in Malta. For boat-rental crews, it’s better experienced as a stretch to look at on passage than a destination to anchor near. Pair with a shore stop further along the Sliema or St Julian’s coast.